The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Rs.200 cr. to improve amenities at temples

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 04, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Rs.200 cr. to improve amenities at temples

Special Correspondent

Rs. 30 crore likely to be spent on Kanaka Durga temple works
Budget for the scheme comes from temple funds

HYDERABAD: A massive Rs. 200-crore scheme to provide amenities to pilgrims at major temples besides improving the existing facilities is being launched at Kanaka Durga temple at Vijayawada on Sunday.

Endowments Minister J. Ratnakar Rao and the department commissioner P. Sundar Kumar will address a meeting of the executive officers of these temples and other Endowments officials from Hyderabad, to identify the works to be taken up under the scheme at each temple and issue on-the-spot decisions.

After the meeting, the Minister will formally inaugurate the scheme taken up as part of the on-going “Gudi Baata”, a programme launched recently to focus on problems relating to temples.

The temples listed for the scheme included the ones at Vijayawda, Simhachalam, Annavaram, Dwaraka Tirumala, Vemulawada, Kanipakam and Penuganchiprolu.

The works identified for Kanaka Durga temple are such that over Rs. 30 crore out of the total Rs. 200 crore would go to this temple alone, a senior official told this correspondent.

The budget for the scheme comes from temple funds only and nothing would be taken from the Government.

Priority would be given to choultries, guesthouses and cottages which would provide accommodation to pilgrims. Apart from these, roads, queue complexes, old age homes, gopurams, mandapams and compound walls would also be taken up, the official said.

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